Eastern Story Bridge footpath to reopen after more than 250 days

The second Story Bridge footpath is set to reopen to the public this week after being closed for the better part of a year.

Paths on either side of the bridge were closed in March when inspections to assess the bridge after ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred found them to be dangerously damaged.

At the time, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the storm was not to blame for long-standing issues, which included concrete cancer and rusting support beams.

“[The path] is actually 10 centimetres thick, including 7.5 centimetres of concrete deck and 2.5 centimetres of asphalt overlay … and some of those panels are 85 years old, dating back to the original,” Schrinner said.

The city-side footpath reopened on October 3. The council said the bill for the restoration of the paths came in at $7 million.

Councillor Danita Parry announced the eastern side’s reopening in a meeting at City Hall today.

“The replacement decking we have procured is strong, lightweight, and fixed onto a steel frame, replacing the old footpath decking with modern, durable infrastructure,” she said.

“I’d like to thank the residents of Brisbane for their patience throughout this process, in particular, members of the active transport community who waited patiently for this important link to reopen.

Some 4000 walkers, cyclists and scooter riders who used the bridge every day were forced into a lengthy detour while both paths were closed.

Schrinner thanked repair crews, who had worked more the 4500 hours on the paths since June, in a video posted on his social media.

“We love the Story Bridge and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure this bridge last another 100 years,” he said.

Parry said the council would now turn its attention to the full restoration of the bridge. In May, an independent report found the bridge was in desperate need of works ahead of its centenary celebrations in 2040.

Design and engineering firm Arup has been brought on as a technical advisor for the business case of the restoration, Parry told Tuesday’s meeting.

The mayor has been public in his pleas to state and federal governments for assistance with the restoration works, telling 4BC in May that repair costs exceeded the council’s budget.

“If you look at where the money goes and where it comes from … people pay their car rego to the state government,” he said.

“Not a cent of that comes to the Brisbane City Council – not a cent of that goes to the Story Bridge. We can’t do this on our own.”

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